Last updated: 10 August 2025
Bayside Psychotherapy is committed to protecting your privacy in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles, updates from the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024 at Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 – Parliament of Australia and applicable state laws including the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic).
By enquiring, booking, or submitting a form, you consent to the handling of your information as outlined below.
Personal and Sensitive Information We Collect
We may collect personal information such as your name, contact details including email and phone number, and basic enquiry details. As a provider of mental health services, we may also collect sensitive health information such as details about mental health concerns, medical history, and other therapy-related details, but only when necessary for providing services and with your explicit consent.
Consent for sensitive health information must be informed, voluntary, and specific. You may withdraw it at any time, though this may affect our ability to provide services. We also record limited technical data, for example your IP address and device type, for security and analytics purposes.
If you are under 18 or otherwise unable to provide consent, we require consent from a parent or guardian before collecting sensitive health information.
How We Collect Your Information
We collect information when you submit a contact form on our website, email or call us, or visit us in person.
Contact Form Submissions Indemnity
By submitting information through our contact forms, email, or phone enquiries on our website, you represent and warrant that the information provided (including any personal details such as names, phone numbers, or email addresses) is accurate, truthful, belongs to you or is submitted with the explicit authority of the individual concerned, and is not fraudulent, unauthorised, or misleading in any way. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Bayside Psychotherapy, its employees, officers, agents, and contractors from and against any claims, losses, damages, liabilities, costs, or expenses (including legal fees) arising out of or in connection with any fraudulent, unauthorised, or misleading submissions, including but not limited to claims from third parties whose personal information was submitted without their consent and who subsequently receive unwarranted contact from us (e.g., via phone calls or emails) based on that submitted information, or who accuse us of misuse, harassment, unsolicited communication, or any other issues resulting from such fraudulent submissions.
Find a Therapist Wizard
Our Find a Therapist Wizard allows you to answer anonymous questions to receive personalised therapist recommendations based on your preferences, such as session type (online or in-clinic). No personal or sensitive information is collected or stored through the wizard itself; it processes responses anonymously without identifying you. If you choose to proceed with booking or enquiring from the recommendations, you may then provide necessary details (which could include sensitive health information for the purpose of the service), and this will be handled as described in this policy.
Use of Halaxy
Our online bookings and intake forms are powered by Halaxy, a secure third-party practice management platform at https://www.halaxy.com. Any information entered into Halaxy’s forms, even when embedded on our site, is sent directly to Halaxy’s servers and handled according to their own Privacy Policy at Halaxy. Bayside Psychotherapy does not store this information on our own website servers. By submitting information through Halaxy forms on our site, you represent and warrant that the information provided is accurate and that you have the authority to submit it.
You acknowledge that Bayside Psychotherapy has no control over Halaxy’s systems, security practices, or data handling beyond what is outlined in their policy, and we make no representations or warranties regarding Halaxy’s security or vulnerability to breaches. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Bayside Psychotherapy, its employees, officers, agents, and contractors from and against any claims, losses, damages, liabilities, costs, or expenses (including legal fees) arising out of or in connection with: (i) any fraudulent, unauthorised, or misleading submissions made through Halaxy forms, including but not limited to instances where third parties claim misuse of their personal information or blame us for issues related to such submissions; or (ii) any vulnerabilities, security breaches, data incidents, or other failures in Halaxy’s systems or services that may affect your information.
Website Analytics and Personalisation
We use Google Analytics and Hotjar to collect anonymous usage data to improve our site. IP anonymisation is enabled for Google Analytics. Hotjar respects “Do Not Track” browser settings. From time to time, we may display related content based on anonymous browsing behaviour, for example more phobia-related resources if you view a phobia treatment page. This will not involve identifying you personally.
If you wish to limit tracking or personalisation, you can disable or block cookies in your browser, clear cookies after each visit, use private or incognito mode, install the Google Analytics Opt-out Add-on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout, or enable Hotjar Do Not Track as described at https://www.hotjar.com/policies/do-not-track/.
For more details, refer to Google Analytics’ privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy and Hotjar’s at https://www.hotjar.com/legal/policies/privacy.
How We Use Your Information
We may use your information to respond to your enquiries, provide therapy and related services, send information you have requested, improve our services and website, and comply with legal and professional obligations.
Disclosure of Information
We may share your information with our staff, contractors, and trusted service providers when needed to deliver services, or with Halaxy when you use our online booking or intake forms. We will never sell or rent your information. If required by law, we may disclose your information to authorities, and will notify you unless legally prohibited.
By engaging our services, including therapy sessions provided by our contractors, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Bayside Psychotherapy, its employees, officers, agents, and affiliates from and against any claims, losses, damages, liabilities, costs, or expenses (including legal fees) arising out of or in connection with any actions, omissions, or privacy handling practices of our contractors in the provision of therapy or related services, including but not limited to breaches of confidentiality, data misuse, or professional negligence, to the extent permitted by law.
Overseas Storage and Handling
Some data, for example analytics data via Google Analytics (servers in the US) or Hotjar (servers in Europe), may be processed on servers outside Australia. We take reasonable steps to ensure these providers meet Australian privacy standards, such as through binding contractual clauses requiring APP-equivalent protections. Note that overseas jurisdictions may not offer the same enforcement rights.
We take reasonable steps to ensure these providers meet Australian privacy standards.
Security and Retention
We use secure systems to protect your information, but no online transmission is completely risk-free. Health records are retained in accordance with professional guidelines, usually 7 years from last contact for adults or until age 25 for minors, then securely destroyed or de-identified. If a serious data breach occurs, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) in line with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme at https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/notifiable-data-breaches/about-the-notifiable-data-breaches-scheme.
Access, Corrections, and Complaints
To complain, access or correct your information, email [email protected] or your treating practitioner directly.
If unresolved federally, for health-specific complaints, you may contact the Health Complaints Commissioner (VIC) at https://hcc.vic.gov.au or phone 1300 582 113.
Complaints can also be sent to this address or by post to Bayside Psychotherapy, 8/539 Highett Road, Highett VIC 3190. If unresolved directly with Bayside Psychotherapy, your treating practitioner, or even the HCC, you may contact the OAIC at phone 1300 363 992 or website https://www.oaic.gov.au.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy periodically. The latest version will always be published on our website.
